Soul Searching
by Gennai's Acolyte
Summary: Have you ever wondered what happened to BlackWarGreymon between episodes 37 and 46 of Adventure 02? Here's my take on events, and why he became so determined to kill Oikawa.


Hey everyone! Sorry that I haven't posted an update for my primary story as of yet, but it's well on its way, and I'll try to have it up before the end of the month. In the meantime, this is a story that I've had in mind ever since I joined . This takes place between episodes 37 and 46 of Adventure 02. Enjoy, and, as always, please review!

Soul Searching

BlackWarGreymon wandered aimlessly off into the woods of the Digital World, his mind crammed to the brim with thoughts and questions. His meeting with the Sovereign Azulongmon had given him some measure of peace, but his soul remained unsatisfied. He had learned that his life had some purpose, a destiny that awaited him, but he had no idea what it was. It frustrated him to no end. For the longest time he had thought that his sole purpose in life was to find and defeat the greatest being in the Digital World, thus establishing himself as the most powerful being in the Digital World, but after meeting Azulongmon, he had begun to doubt that path. Now, he was as aimless and confused as when he had first been thrust into the Digital World and made to fight against the Digidestined at Arukenimon's whim.

He needed a place of solace and solitude, somewhere where he could ponder what his life's true purpose was, and perhaps discover his destiny. He had said that he was going to somewhere "where things go to disappear, somewhere that is nowhere." In truth however, he had no idea where such a place might be. It had been several hours since his final confrontation with the Digidestined and his conversation with Azulongmon, but he felt no closer to reaching the place of his desire than when he had first begun. "Why?" he grumbled, "Why can I not find the place I seek? It is just like my destiny, hidden from me. Am I to wander alone forever, feared and despised by all others!?" He slammed his gauntleted fist into a nearby tree in frustration, knocking it over with his tremendous strength and frightening several digimon who had made their homes in it. They fled in a frightful panic, racing as swiftly as they could to get away from BlackWarGreymon.

The powerful mega digimon watched them run off for a moment before turning his attention to his hands, suddenly fascinated with them. He just stared at them for short while, tensing and relaxing his fists. "Such mighty strength these have," he pondered aloud to himself, "more power than most could dream of. Such strength could accomplish almost anything." Then his eyes drifted to the lethal blades of the Dramon Destroyers on his gauntlet, "And yet, they are fit only for causing death and destruction." He gave a deep and profound sigh. Azulongmon had greeted him as the one with the "Soul of Darkness". Did that mean that he was meant to cause ill? That his purpose in life was to kill and cause terror in all?

He shook his head vigorously, dispelling the thought. He had no desire to wreak unnecessary destruction, or to bring death for no reason. He hadn't even really taken any joy from crushing the Digidestined and their digimon when he had battled with them, only enjoying the fight itself. The feeling of euphoria, the exhilaration that rushed through him when he pitted himself against a worthy foe in battle was the greatest feeling of joy and satisfaction that he had ever known. However, he had found no one to even come close to matching his skill in combat, and thus all of his fights had been disappointingly short. But, he took no pleasure out of any destruction or pain that he caused. There was no way that that could be his purpose.

Resigning himself to further dissatisfaction, he wandered deeper and deeper into the forest, trekking for countless hours as the day turned into a deep black night, and he found himself quite alone. The place was dark and dreary, with no hint of life about it. In the distance he could see a tall mountain sticking up, with a faint glimmer of light peaking up from behind it. He stepped in that direction for several paces, until he came across a large flat stone, with three images chiseled out on its surface. The first was a strange leopard looking digimon, with a fearsome countenance. The next was an image of a ferocious SaberLeomon, with its head held high in prideful arrogance. The final carving depicted a savage Garurumon that appeared as if it had been half starved. The rock and its images brought a shudder to BlackWarGreymon, and he felt an intense urge to turn around and walk the other way. He figured that this was the best course of action, and fled in the opposite direction as hastily as his legs could bear him.

As he retreated hastily, BlackWarGreymon noticed the woods around him being slowly obscured from view by a deep mist. He thought that he should stop and look where exactly he was going, but some mysterious force seemed to compel him to continue onward. The mist continued to grow thicker and thicker, turning an inky black color as it surrounded him, smothering his surroundings with its heavy presence. For a moment, BlackWarGreymon could see nothing, not even his own hands down at his sides, and yet, he continued on, not knowing whether there were any dangers before him. Even if there had been, he could not have willed himself to stop. Soon however, the black mist began to melt away, leaving BlackWarGreymon in a place totally unfamiliar to him.

A howling gale force wind ripped across the barren plateau on which he stood, cutting through his armor and chilling him to the bone. "What is this place?" BlackWarGreymon wondered aloud as he surveyed his new surroundings. The sky was black, with only a faint red light illuminating the bleak and desolate landscape. The air smelled strongly of ash and the stench of sulfur. The only landmark around the plateau was a crumbling old fortress, a mighty structure that looked as if it had stood for ten thousand years. Its once proud parapets were now in disrepair, and it looked as though chunks of the structure had simply deteriorated and crumbled away. Everything else around resembled a wasteland, with no signs of life visible on the bleak plain, or anywhere else in the eerie realm.

Suddenly however, a bloodcurdling howl split the air, causing BlackWarGreymon to spin rapidly around in an attempt to identify the source. On the horizon, he could make out a tiny speck racing towards him with incredible speed. It dashed across the wasteland with unnatural swiftness, and BlackWarGreymon was shocked when it reached the base of plateau in mere seconds. The beast leaped up high into the air, snapping at him with savage jaws that allowed a torrent of saliva to drip from the creature's feral mouth. BlackWarGreymon stepped to the side and brought his right arm around in an elegant arc, neatly disemboweling the creature with the vicious blades on his gauntlet. The thing fell with hardly a whimper, collapsing in a broken heap on the ground. With the thing slain, BlackWargreymon was afforded a closer look at his assailant. The thing had a vaguely canine appearance, in form resembling a cow sized black coyote, albeit with a starved appearance. It was lean and gaunt, looking as though it had not eaten in quite some time. Its eerie red eyes began to dim, as the creature's spark of life went out.

A second howl echoed through the sky, followed by another, then another. Soon, there were so many to keep track of as the formerly silent landscape was filled by the sounds of the beasts. BlackWarGreymon watched in surprise as dozens of the creatures sprinted over the horizon towards him, and braced himself for battle. The first of the animals foolish enough to challenge him was speared in the throat and thrown back down the plateau to the earth below. After that, they attacked en masse, and BlackWarGreymon responded with deadly force. He danced around with perfect grace, keeping his vulnerable legs safe, and swinging his arms in tight arcs, each blow leaving deep lacerations that either maimed or outright slew one of the odd creatures. However, even with his incredible skill, the sheer numbers and the mindless lack of self preservation of the beasts threatened to overwhelm him. Tightening his limbs around him, he hovered a few feet off the ground and began to spin with mind numbing speed, until his movement was a blur and it was impossible to distinguish his form. "Black Tornado!" he bellowed as he propelled himself at his clustered foes. His attack tore them to ribbons, leaving their shredded and broken forms littering the plateau, until none were left.

The peace was short lived, as a deafening guttural roar boomed all around him. A monstrous black form crashed down on the plateau, sending BlackWarGreymon tumbling away. He looked up at the new arrival, and beheld a monstrous reptilian creature, coated in black scales and with blazing red eyes. Its massive wings were folded at its sides, and it raised one of its massive claws, bringing it down to crush BlackWarGreymon. He rolled to the side, allowing the claw and its talons to bury themselves in the earth, then slashing at one of the talons, severing it from the claw, and giving him an opportunity to rocket out and put distance between himself and this new monster.

The dragon glared at him with hatred, not even bothered by the wound. It reared back its head, and spewed a vile black flame at BlackWarGreymon. The mega digimon snatched his shield off his back and held it in front of him to deflect the attack. The object soon melted like hot wax, and BlackWarGreymon was fortunate that the monster ceased his attack shortly before he was forced to drop the now useless object. BlackWarGreymon counterattacked, gathering the energy around him in his hands until they formed a massive red sphere. "Terra Destroyer," he growled as he hurled the sphere at the dragon. It struck the creature, exploding and causing the beast to crumple in defeat.

BlackWarGreymon was just savoring his victory when, to his horror, the fallen corpses began to melt into shadows, which took their original shape once again. The canine like animals yowled up at him, and the dragon pulled itself back together. BlackWarGreymon was tempted to stay and fight them all again, but he felt a familiar tugging sensation that seemed to draw him towards the old fortress. He could not summon the will to deny the summons and turned to jet towards the ancient structure. He easily outpaced his adversaries and landed just outside of the building, throwing opening the door and storming inside.

The door slammed closed firmly behind him, leaving BlackWarGreymon sealed inside the building. He looked about to see what the inside of the building was like as he cautiously moved further inwards. The interior was dark and damp, with the interior lighting coming from a series of torches lining the walls. Still quite cold, BlackWarGreymon moved closer to the torches, but pulled back in surprise as he became even colder. "There's something really wrong about this place," he muttered. The place reeked of mold and ash, along with a sickly sweet scent. It was the scent of death. It was as though the place was filled with creatures dying all of time.

As he continued to process his new surroundings, a rich baritone voice came from behind BlackWarGreymon, saying, "Welcome." It might have sounded pleasant, but for the cold tone that the voice had to it. BlackWarGreymon spun around to face the direction where the voice had come from, and saw its origin. The speaker was taller than normal, but still shorter than BlackWarGreymon. He wore a black mask that covered the top half of his head, and had a pair of horns near the back. The rest of his clothing was also black, with a red bat symbol on his chest. His arms were both long and lanky, and his visible flesh was a pale color, nearly like that of a corpse. Two black wings sprouted from his back.

"Who are you!?" demanded BlackWarGreymon, "Are you here to challenge me?" The newcomer looked sinister, just the type who would want to pick a fight. The being laughed aloud in response to BlackWarGreymon's question, causing the mega digimon to become further incensed. He swung his fist at the newcomer's head, but his blow passed right through him as though he were mist. The being laughed, "You ask who I am? Well, I can tell you that this form was once known as Devimon. Now it is inhabited by something… different. However, you may refer to me as Charon." He seemed to ponder for a moment, "You might think of me as the… embodiment of this place."

"And just what exactly is this place?" BlackWarGreymon asked.

"This is the Dark Area," Charon responded, "This is where the data of evil digimon is transported when they are destroyed, so that they may suffer for all eternity for their crimes." Suddenly, his demeanor changed to one of sadistic glee. "That is why you are here!" he said, his voice nearly a squeal. He lunged forward to grab BlackWarGreymon, but his hands stopped several inches short of their target, as though an invisible barrier lay between them. For the first time, Charon looked shocked, and he stepped back as though almost frightened. "You're here in the flesh!" he stuttered, "That's impossible!" He quickly regained his composure and began speaking again, "Well, if you're not here for eternal punishment, then you must have another reason for coming here." Pausing, he thought for a moment, trying to deduce what BlackWarGreymon's reason for being here was. "Ah ha!" he said, "You were looking for a place where no one could find you, right?"

BlackWarGreymon nodded, surprised that this new digimon had figured out his intentions. "I was seeking a place where I could think for a little while, and get away from distractions," he said, "but this doesn't exactly seem like the kind of place where I could ponder what my destiny is."

"So, it's a destiny you're searching for," Charon said, "If you came here safely, then there must be something here for you. Let me show you around a bit. There's not much here, but perhaps you'll find what you're looking for." He turned and began walking deeper into the fortress, while BlackWarGreymon just stood, staring doubtfully at him. Charon turned back around towards him. "Well come on then!" he shouted, "Don't just stand there all day! Follow me!" BlackWarGreymon was still unconvinced, but slowly began to plod after the odd entity.

The two trudged through the hallway of the fortress. It was fairly unremarkable, with most of the interior looking identical to everywhere else. Several doors were scattered around, and they all seemed exactly alike, yet Charon didn't stop at any of them. At last, he stopped in front of yet another unremarkable looking oaken door, and pushed it open. Immediately, the hall was filled with screams of pain and suffering that echoed out from inside. Charon motioned BlackWarGreymon to enter, and he reluctantly obeyed. Charon pushed the door shut behind them, and they slowly moved deeper inside the new area.

It was extremely dark and dank, with a foul musty odor that filled the air. The heat was almost unbearable, and BlackWarGreymon began to sweat profusely as his armor slowly heated up. Charon gave a cruel grin as he observed his guest's discomfort. "It's worse inside the cells," he said. That prompted BlackWarGreymon to give the area a closer look. The sides were bounded with pens that held various digimon inside. The first one that he saw contained a figure whom he could not even make out, seeing as it was wrapped entirely in glowing red hot chains. "This is the Hall of the Damned," Charon explained, "Here, those digimon who were irredeemably wicked in life are delivered to be tormented for all eternity." He paused and turned to BlackWarGreymon. "The ones you see here are only the beginning. There are many, many more in other cell blocks here. These ones are merely the most wretched, those who are most deserving of punishment. You might say that they are the hall of fame for the scum and villainy of the Digital World."

BlackWarGreymon barely managed to scrape together a nod as he continued following his guide down the hallway. He was repulsed by the horrific torments inflicted on the beings inside. Inside one cell, he saw an odd monkey like digimon being hung with a microphone cord. The end containing the microphone was actually crammed down his throat, and powerful electrical surges passed through it and into him at random intervals, causing him to twitch violently. Several paces down the hall, he observed another cell containing a wooden digimon. This one was being tortured in a fiery pen, and strings suspended from the ceiling and controlled by an invisible force caused him to dance around like a madman, often crashing him into a wall or twisting into painful knots. Finally, the puppeteer sent him dancing into a furnace at the back wall of the cell, and the digimon gave a shriek of horror as he was incinerated to ash. BlackWarGreymon was almost relieved, grateful the creature had at last been put out of its misery. Alas, after a few seconds, a cloud of data reassembled itself back into the inmate, and the revolting cycle began anew.

"What could these digimon have done to deserve this kind of punishment?" asked BlackWarGreymon, "Surely, no one deserves this kind of treatment."

"Do not pity these creatures," chided Charon, "Their horrors are beyond count: thousands killed or tortured, entire worlds and planes of existence threatened. Do not waste your time feeling sorry for scum such as they."

"If that's the case, then why are you not also being tortured," BlackWarGreymon challenged angrily, "You seem to be just the type who would end up here, if your appearance is to be judged at all."

Charon fell silent for a moment. "Follow me," he said finally. He led BlackWarGreymon down the hall and took a right about halfway through. The followed a crazy set of random turns before finally reaching a large wall that ran along that side of the area. A pained set of screams and enraged shouts echoed out from behind. Turning , Charon explained, "Behind here is the abomination where the soul that once inhabited this form now dwells. The Digimon Emperor in his arrogance reached into this realm, seeking a life force to inhabit his hideous construction. The soul of Devimon was near where the barrier was weakest, and allowed himself to be drawn out, thinking that any fate was preferable to his current punishment. When his new form was destroyed, he returned here, to an even harsher punishment than before. Since this form was simply a shell, I… borrowed it, since it was being unused."

BlackWarGreymon gave an involuntary shudder at the thought of his body being possessed by some anomalous being. Charon ignored it, and continued as though there were nothing disturbing at all about the concept. "Come along, we should continue on." He led BlackWarGreymon through the rest of complex, past the multitude of spirits being tortured in various horrifying and disturbing manners. Finally, they arrived at the end of the hall, where there was another door. Curiously, there was a large, empty cell sitting near it, with numerous instruments of torture lining its entire interior. It looked like it was being prepared for every possible torture imaginable in the prison.

"What is this cell for?" asked BlackWarGreymon.

For the first time, Charon's expression grew dark, as though he were angry. "This cell is for the one who has cheated death twice. His crimes place him among the worst offenders, but his ability of escaping my grasp has ensured that he will be the most tortured spirit here." He said nothing for several moments, but merely stood with a smile of pleasure on his face, as though envisioning how he would punish this new digimon. At last, he looked over at BlackWarGreymon. "I sense that you have not found what you were searching for," he said, "I have one more place that you might look. If you will find your destiny and purpose here, it will be where I will show you." He opened the door, and led BlackWarGreymon back out into the central corridor, and moved only about 20 yards down before stopping in front of another door. Opening it, he motioned for BlackWarGreymon to enter.

The entrance was shrouded in darkness, and BlackWarGreymon felt the urge to not enter. "What is in here?" he asked, with uneasiness obvious in his voice.

"This is Hall of Memories," Charon answered, "Here is contained the history of all evil and violence in the Digital World. It is the 2nd largest collection of history in the Digital World, surpassed only by a similar collection deep within the ancient temple on File Island, which contains the complete history of this world. If the answers you seek are anywhere here, you will find them in the Hall. However, the answers are for you alone. I will not enter with you."

BlackWarGreymon nodded, then slowly stepped forward into the room. The hallway vanished behind him, and he appeared in a gloomy looking room with tall stone walls. Along the walls danced images of various digimon, most of whom were either suffering terribly, or were inflicting pain on others. The images looked so real, so lifelike, as though he were actually watching them. Finding that he couldn't help himself, he walked over to one of the panels and tentatively reached out, moving his hand closer and closer until it touched the wall—

BlackWarGreymon blinked. He wasn't in the Hall of Memories anymore. Instead, he was in a large chamber, apparently underground. There was a massive wall of flame at the other end of the room that cast a dim glow throughout the room. Looking around the chamber, he could make out the forms of three humans, bigger than the digidestined that he'd encountered, and apparently three digimon standing around them. They were staring at the wall of fire, as though expecting something. Suddenly, the flames parted and a tall, robust creature emerged from it. Its right arm was a massive, spear like appendage, and it had wings sprouting from its back. Other than those features, it looked quite anthropomorphic, like a huge man wearing bluish-black armor.

The digimon charged towards the humans, swinging its weapon to strike them down, but they scattered and the attack arced harmlessly towards the ground. A small, white little creature, seeming to be made of nothing but light and air, flitted quietly around the fray. BlackWarGreymon was puzzled at the presence of the creature. It was not a digimon, and in fact appeared completely different from anything he had ever seen. His eyes traced its path as it withdrew, until it passed right through the cave wall and vanished. His head swiveled right back to the fight, and he was shocked at the new sight. The digimon that had emerged from the wall of fire was now in a heated battle as it grappled with a red and white hued digimon, who had the appearance of a noble looking knight. The two struggled furiously, and neither one seemed to be able to gain the upper hand.

Suddenly, BlackWarGreymon felt as though he were being watched. He heard a wretched cackle of dark amusement and searched for its origin. It seemed to be coming from the wall of fire itself. BlackWarGreymon suddenly felt very small and insignificant. He felt… frightened. He took a step backwards, and to his horror felt nothing supporting him. He fell…

BlackWarGreymon was back in the Hall of Memories, its dim lights sending shadows flashing across the floor. _What was that _wondered BlackWarGreymon. Apparently the Hall of Memories could actually allow someone to see the events of the past. _I doubt that I'll find anything that will reveal my destiny that far back in time. I'll need to look further on, closer to the present._ Walking along the corridor, BlackWarGreymon passed scores of panels, each one filled with scenes of horror and pain. Finally, he came to one about 50 feet from the end that made him stop. This panel was pure black, preventing BlackWarGreymon from seeing what it was depicting. He wasn't exactly eager to be drawn into the past again, especially since this panel promised to be even more horrific than the first one that he had visited. Yet, something seemed to draw him to it, and he felt as though he was meant to see what was here. Hesitantly, he stretched his hand out and, taking a deep breath, touched the panel.

BlackWarGreymon found himself in a shadowy forest. The thick plant growth didn't appear natural, but instead seemed as if even they were malicious, desiring to kill and inflict pain. However, there was no sign of any other digimon in the area and BlackWarGreymon was beginning to wonder what this panel was meant to show. A rustling in the brush drew his attention, and he small, cream colored doglike digimon wander out. It had a gold ring around its neck, and seemed frightened, as though it was aware of the malevolent atmosphere of the area. It crept along slowly and passed by BlackWarGreymon as though he weren't even there.

_That makes sense_, BlackWarGreymon thought to himself, _I'm just viewing images of the past. I can't actually interact with it, because I wasn't there. But, I could have sworn that that wall of fire knew that I was there…_

He didn't have time to continue pondering, as an eerie red light appeared just ahead. The small digimon shrunk back in fright as a dark shape formed in the light. It materialized as a man-like digimon with dark blue and yellow clothing, a black and red cape, pale grayish-white skin, blonde hair and oversized canines. He too was unaware of BlackWarGreymon's observance as he strode arrogantly towards the small digimon. "Well well well, what do we have here?" he asked mockingly, "A poor lost digimon, all alone in my realm. What should I do with you? Ah, I know," he said maliciously, "I think that you will make an excellent pet. Kneel," he commanded.

What happened next shocked BlackWarGreymon. The seemingly defenseless, timid digimon looked up at the tall, pale digimon and gave the coolest, most steely glare that BlackWarGreymon had ever seen. The act was not pleasing to the other digimon. "I said KNEEL!" he growled. The small digimon just continued its defiant stare. Rage now filled the larger digimon's eyes. "If you will not obey me willingly," he growled, "then I will make you kneel." A band of red energy appeared in his hands, and he lashed at the smaller digimon with it. The white digimon gave a yelp of pain, but rose quickly, continuing to stare down its tormentor. The whip came crashing down again, striking the digimon's head, and again it rose up. BlackWarGreymon watched, his admiration for the courageous little creature growing more and more every time it rose back up and continued to defy its foe.

However, it could not last forever. Finally, the larger digimon began to rain a steady stream of blows upon its victim with its weapon, not allowing it any respite. The cries of agony from the small digimon filled the air, until it fell silent and still. The anthropomorphic digimon released his weapon and wandered casually over to where its victim lay on the ground. "Yes," he hissed softly, "you will make a fine servant. That is, once I break you." He gave an evil chuckle that chilled BlackWarGreymon to the bone, and the scene seemed to dissolve in front of him. However, he was not sent back to the Hall of Memories, but simply stood as a new scene formed in front of him.

This time, he was in an old stone room, not at all unlike the corridors of the fortress of the Dark Area. The area was lit by the flickering light of burning torches, and the pale digimon that he had seen before sat in a wooden chair in front of a desk. A door opened, and two more digimon strolled in before bowing before the seated digimon. One was a small bluish bat-like digimon and the other was…

_ Is that one of the digidestineds' digimon_, wondered BlackWarGreymon, _I think that she's called Gatomon._

"You summoned us, Lord Myotismon?" Gatomon asked in a smooth voice.

"Yes," said the digimon, Myotismon, as he rose to face them, "I have a special task for each of you. The hour of my destiny is approaching, but there are things that must be done first. DemiDevimon, you will distract the digidestined, and delay their coming here for as long as possible. Use any means necessary, but you must remove them as a threat. Imprison them, turn them against each other, do whatever you want. Just make sure that they are unable to interfere with my plans." Turning towards Gatomon, he continued, "Gatomon, you will make me an army. Search far and wide. Find the most fearsome and powerful digimon and make them serve me. I have need of soldiers and pawns for my plans. Do this for me, my faithful servant."

"I will do as you command, Lord Myotismon," Gatomon answered gracefully.

DemiDevimon shot her a dirty look for a brief second before returning his gaze to Myotismon. "You can count on me master!" he said.

"Good," said Myotismon, now leave me. I need to be alone with my thoughts." Gatomon and DemiDevimon bowed again and quietly withdrew from the chamber. Myotismon sat back down in his seat and chuckled to himself. "Soon, I will bring my darkness to both worlds and fulfill my destiny," he said aloud, "My plan is flawless. I will storm the human realm and kill this eighth child before he can threaten me. But," he continued, "even if by some fluke the digidestined defeat me, they can't possibly guess what I have planned. If I fall in the human world, I will simply rise again, more powerful than ever before. Then, not even the eighth child will be able to pose a threat to me. I will reign supreme over both worlds forever." He chuckled again, but this time it grew gradually into maniacal laughter. He tossed his head back and BlackWarGreymon gave a shiver. The ground rumbled beneath his feet, and the scene shattered.

BlackWarGreymon shook his head to clear his mind of the images as he found himself back in the Hall of Memories. _What was the purpose of that_, he wondered, _that didn't help me at all. I'm still as lost as before._ He breathed deeply and walked until he reached the end of the corridor. There, he found the last panel, the one that held the events that had occurred most recently. Here, the images moved so quickly that he couldn't even tell what they were of before they vanished and were replaced by the next scene. _If there are answers for me in this place,_ thought BlackWarGreymon, _then they will be here_. Bracing himself for the last time, he plunged into the cascade of images.

BlackWarGreymon found himself standing on a tall cliff overlooking an inlet of the sea. Below, he could see the digidestined that was so familiar with standing with their digimon, apparently waiting for something. _Something about this seems familiar,_ thought BlackWarGreymon, _I feel like I've been here before_. A whooshing sound rushed through the air, and BlackWarGreymon turned around to find its source. A small object was hurtling towards his location, coming closer and closer with incredible speed. His heart sank as he recognized who it was.

_It's me_, he thought he watched himself land on the cliff, just a few meters away from where he was watching. His past self stared down at the water. "I can feel the Destiny Stone's presence," he said. Suddenly seeing the telltale glow from deep under the surface, he continued, "There! In the ocean!" Before he could make a move for it however, he was assailed by the partners of the digidestined, who fought him with all of their strength. BlackWarGreymon already knew how this ended, and unsurprised as he crushed his opponents and split the waters to reveal his target. He watched in horror as his former self nearly killed the digidestined name Cody, and then proceeded to smash the Destiny Stone into innumerable little fragments. Then, a tremendous gust of wind began to howl, and the scene was blown away.

BlackWarGreymon cringed for the next few moments as the memories flowed backwards in time and he was forced to watch as he destroyed the Destiny Stones, causing grievous damage to the stability of the Digital World. _So,_ he pondered sadly, _I have already placed myself in the history of the evils of the Digital World. Perhaps I really am just meant to be a force for destruction._ Again, his gaze drifted to the bladed Dramon Destroyers on his arms. Clenching his fists, he banished the thought from his mind. _I may have committed evil deeds in the past, but now I'm searching for a new purpose, one that will make up for my sins._ As the scenes continued to flash backwards, he saw as Arukenimon created him from a mountain of control spires, which brought a fresh feeling of cold deadness to him. After that, the scene changed to an oversized kitchen, where Arukenimon futilely fought the digidestined until being rescued by Mummymon. The next burst of scenes were all of Arukenimon's plots and attempts to bring further ruin to the Digital World via the control spires, then after that, scenes of a young boy in flamboyant costume enslaving digimon with black rings, and forcing them to fight each other for his amusement.

At the next scene, the space solidified momentarily, allowing BlackWarGreymon to better observe what was going on. The young boy stood in a desert, with Arukenimon next to him. BlackWarGreymon saw Wormmon at the boy's feet, and realized that this must be the digidestined Ken back when he was the infamous Digimon Emperor. Arukenimon was in her more human form, and she fished out one of the black rings that BlackWarGreymon had seen in the earlier visions. "This is a Dark Ring," she told Ken, "With these, you will be able to control any digimon, and make them do as you will. With this and more like it, you can fulfill your dream of conquering the Digital World! Ken took the ring, without so much as a word of thanks, and smiled evilly. Then, the winds rose again, dispersing the vision.

The world became blurry for a long while, but finally began to settle, revealing a place that BlackWarGreymon couldn't recognize in any way. A man, obviously a human like the digidestined, but much older, sat on a bench with his laptop, fiddling away with it. He seemed frustrated for a while, but finally he gave a grin of triumph as the screen flashed, and BlackWarGreymon had to avert his eyes. When the light faded, Arukenimon and Mummymon stood before the man, looking slightly confused. "Who are we?" questioned Arukenimon, "and who are you?"

"You are Arukenimon," said the man, "and you are Mummymon. I am your master, Yukio Oikawa. I have brought you here to serve me."

"Then what is it that you will, master?" queried Arukenimon, "what do you desire of us?"

"I need to you sow chaos in the Digital World," Oikawa answered, "I will show you how to get there. You must do anything and everything that you can to bring destruction and ruin to the Digital World and its guardians. Only then will I be able to enter it myself."

"We will do as you command," replied Arukenimon.

"Good," said Oikawa. He pressed a few buttons on his laptop and turned it to face his two servants. "This is the portal to the Digital World. Remember what I have commanded you." Arukenimon and Mummymon nodded, then stepped forward into the light, vanishing into the Digital World. "Excellent," said Oikawa, "My plans are finally coming closer to fruition. With these two, I will finally wear down the barriers of the Digital World, and fulfill my destiny. At long last, I will be able to see the Digital World once again!" Chuckling to himself, he closed the laptop and wandered off into the distance as the scene collapsed.

_So_, thought BlackWarGreymon, _that's what it is. That is the cause of all of the current ills of the Digital World. This Oikawa, he is the one who has set in motion all of these events._

"I sense that you have found the answers that you sought," said Charon.

BlackWarGreymon blinked; he hadn't even noticed that he had returned, not to the Hall of Memories, but to the corridor where he had first entered. "I did," he replied curtly, "Now, how do I leave this place?"

"Journey back out into the wasteland," Charon answered, "From there, you will find your way back."

BlackWarGreymon nodded and pivoted around, strolling away down the hall with new purpose in his stride. He now knew that he was not simply a tool for evil and destruction. He was not simply a pawn in a game with no control over his life. He was not some soulless creature with no greater purpose other than existing. He had a purpose. He had finally discovered his destiny. He would find Yukio Oikawa.

And he would kill him.


End file.
